The gathering process is underway, more and more information to be released, - Head of Ukraine's Security Service

Militants illegally detain and torture Ukrainian citizens in prison cells, basements and pits on temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The Security Service of Ukraine gathered testimonies of former POWs and published part of them today during their briefing.

In 2014, the Security Service initiated the criminal proceeding under the respective article of the Criminal Code (cruel treatment against POWs or civilians). In 2015, the case was passed to the General Prosecutor’s Office, and then to the Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office. Currently, the SBU interviews everyone who endured these tortures. Thanks to our close cooperastion with volunteers and other patriots of the country we managed to release 3,082 individuals. We already collected testimonies of 124 former hostages’. Vasyl Hrytsak, the Head of the Security Service, reported this at the briefing on Friday, which was broadcasted by 112 Ukraine TV channel.

The official added that the Security Service continues to gather testimonies of former POWs about tortures and humiliations, while they were in captivity of Russia-backed militants. According to him, no part of the information will be released to the press until the former hostages give their consent for that.